Mass Effect: Redemption FF, not comic
by Knight5923
Summary: The title was coincidental, I was unaware of a comic with the same name. Commander Shepard's refusal of the Illusive Man's demands returns to haunt him when he is arrested and his crew and Quarian lover are kidnapped. The battle for redemption ensues.


**Mass Effect: Redemption **  
**Prologue **  
I am Commander Shepard. Captain of the SSV Normandy SR2. Former officer of the Alliance Special Forces. Former Spectre of the council. Savior of the Citadel. Destroyer of the Collectors. Living dead man. And now, incarcerated C-Sec inmate.

I was killed by the Collectors. They killed me, my ship, and many of my friends. Cerberus rebuilt me, brought me back to strike against our common enemy. When the Illusive Man asked me to give him the Collector's station, the technology and power they had gained through the torture and murder of thousands of humans, I ended our alliance, and destroyed the Collector threat. Like a phoenix, a new threat to me and mine burst from the ashes of that smoldering corpse: the scorned Illusive Man. He fabricated charges against me, and had my friends and companions kidnapped, arrested, or otherwise disposed of. So here I sit, in the same C-Sec cell I've rotted in for the past two months, with no one to talk to, no representation or due process, waiting for my chance, for any opening.

**Chapter 1 **  
**Two Months Previous**

"Cap," Joker said over the intercom, "We've got a signal coming in from the Citadel. Looks like Council Advisor Udina. I can't imagine why you would, but do you want to speak with him?"  
Shepard sighed, his eyes lingering on Tali's lithe form lounging peacefully on the sofa in his cabin. The past two weeks had been the best of his life. After destroying the Collector base, he and his crew had begun a leisurely cruise across the stars as repairs were affected. He and his Quarian lover had spent much of that time together. Although she was still mildly afflicted from their first chance at intimacy, they had spent the time getting closer than Shepard had ever thought it was possible for two people to be. "Looks like the vacation's over" Shepard muttered as he wandered over to his personal terminal. Tali stifled a giggle as she stretched sleepily. "Put it through to the briefing room, Joker. I'll take it down there." Shepard said.  
"Sure thing Cap, patching it through. Make sure to give Udina my best." joker replied sarcastically.  
Shepard walked back to his sofa, grinning to himself as Tali's bright eyes followed him across the floor. He settled in beside her and looked into the eyes which had captured his imagination since the first time they had met. Though the face plate of her environmental suit hid much of her face, the sight of those soft yet piercing eyes tore away his defenses, and told him that everything he felt for her was returned whole heartedly. "There's a priority wave coming in from the Citadel that I'm going to have to take." Shepard said.  
"Is anything wrong?" Tali asked, her soft voice edged with concern.  
"I doubt it. Likely more politics, but with Cerberus behind us, we'd best keep our friends close." Shepard replied with a smile, his hand tracing the line of her neck, "Will you wait for me, Miss Vas Normandy?"  
"You've been so patient with me, Shepard." She replied coyly, leaning her head into his chest. "What's that Human phrase? …….I'd wait forever and a day for you." He embraced her warmly for a moment, then she pulled back slightly and faced him. "I'd take it as a personal favor if you didn't keep me waiting quite that long, though." she teased. Shepard grinned widely and pulled her close once more, content to share the moment if only for a few seconds more.

Standing in front of the conference table of the briefing room, Shepard activated the communications hub, and a holographic visage appeared. "Advisor Udina," Shepard said in greeting, "What can I do for you?"  
"Ah, Commander Shepard, It's good to see you. And the real question is, what can _I_ do for _you_? Or more accurately, what _have_ I done for you?"  
"Nothing particularly helpful." Shepard thought to himself, but remained silent.  
"In commemoration of your success against the Collector threat, and for defending and recovering so many human colonists in the Terminus Systems, I have convinced the Alliance to hold a small ceremony in your honor. It would be greatly appreciated by all those involved if you could come to the Citadel promptly to attend."  
"Thank you, Advisor, but that's really not necess….."  
"Yes it is, Commander. Formal attire only, please. I look forward to seeing you then. Udina out"  
With that, Udina's image winked out, and Shepard was left shaking his head. After a moment's contemplation, he asked "EDI, could you give me ship-wide communication please?"  
"Of course, Commander", EDI replied as she completed the task, "… go ahead."  
"Attention crew, this is Commander Shepard." He gave a tired sigh, then continued "It looks like we're going to a party." A small cheer could be heard through the bulkheads. "Afterwards, all crew will be given twenty four hours shore leave. Dress code is formal, so I want everyone looking and acting their best. Grunt, that means no weapons." A crash and loud cursing could be heard reverberating up from the cargo hold. "Joker, set course for the Citadel."

Standing in the airlock, Shepard keyed in his comm. "Tali, I'm going to head in, see if Councilman Anderson has any idea how long this will last. Are you almost ready?"  
"Just about, commander." Tali replied, "I just finished with the core diagnostic. I'll go and get cleaned up in your cabin, then meet you inside."  
Nodding to himself, Shepard opened the exterior airlock hatch and stepped out onto the Citadel docking berth. Lined up along either side the catwalk were three dozen armed Alliance officers, standing at attention. Shepard smiled as each officer saluted as he made his way toward the main transit terminal. At the end of the line of soldiers stood Advisor Udina, dressed in his robes of office with his arms folded behind his back. Shepard approached him, extending his hand in greeting "Nice to see you again, Advisor."  
Udina looked down at Shepard's hand coldly, then returned his steely gaze to the man before him. "Commander Shepard, by the power vested in me, as advisor to the Citadel Council, I hereby place you under arrest on the charges of treason and crimes against humanity."  
Shepard's brow furled sharply as he snarled "What the hell are you talking about, Udina? I've never done anything but serve humanity!"  
"New evidence has come to light suggesting that you approached Cerberus during your campaign against Saren and his Geth, intent on using their illegal and immoral research in defense against these so-called 'Reapers'. In fact, some reports state that you personally suggested the reproduction of Thorian Creepers and Rachni warriors, as well as the conversion of human colonists into Geth Husks, to create your own army of abominations."  
"This is insane!" Shepard raged, "I brought these inhumanities to the council's attention in the first place!"  
"Yes, well, you also reported the many of these Cerberus experiments went awry and failed horribly. In the light of this new evidence, it seems likely you reported these failures as your own successes in an attempt to cover up your crimes. In addition to your incarceration, your crew and companions will be arrested and charged with aiding and abetting a criminal, as well as conspiracy against the Alliance and the Citadel. As many of them are not human, we will be appointing an impartial third party to decide their punishments and where specifically they will serve their internment."  
"Don't you dare!" Shepard yelled as he lunged at the Advisor. He threw his head forward sharply, cracking his forehead against the bridge of Udina's nose. He felt the heavy impact of the butt of a rifle against the back of his skull. As his vision began to fade, his last sight was of Udina screaming, blood pouring down his face.

Tali stood in the washroom of Shepard's cabin, carefully scrubbing an oily patch on her sleeve. "Keelah," She muttered in frustration, "Of course this happens right before my first formal ceremony on the Citadel. The next time I'm in engineering, Donelly is going to get an ear-full for leaving such a mess on the consoles!" Just then, she heard the subtle hiss of the elevator door opening outside of the cabin. "Shepard, I'm sorry I'm late." She stammered anxiously, her back to the door. "It's just that this is our first formal outing, and I wanted everything to go well, but I've got this Bosh'tet grease on my suit, and I …. I just don't want to ruin the evening. I don't want to embarrass us …. embarrass you…." She stood silently for a moment waiting for a response, but heard nothing. "Shepard?" she asked, stepping out into the main room. Just as she left the doorway, a powerful arm flashed out and threw her to the floor. She looked up to see four armed men standing in front of her, rifles leveled at her head. "Where's Shepard?" She shouted, "What have you done with him?"  
One of the four men stepped forward. He wore heavy battle-hardened armored. A deep slash ran down the front of his helmet. "Shepard has been dealt with." Although it was covered, Tali could imagine his face twisting into a sneer. He stepped closer, looking her up and down. "Take her away. I know someone who can deal with her ably." The three henchmen lifted her bodily from the floor. Tali struggled with all of her strength, and managed to reach the ornamental blade strapped to her leg. She slipped the dagger under the helmet of one of the men, cutting deeply into his neck. The man erupted into a gurgling scream, and fell to the floor. The lead mercenary grabbed her knife and threw it to the floor, taking Tali's arm where his dying comrade had fallen. "Careful you fools!" He shouted, "The buyer will want her alive and undamaged." With that, the men carried her into the elevator, dragging her from her new found home, from those she loved and those that loved her.

**Chapter 2****  
****C-Sec Internment Facility****  
**  
Shepard lay on the cot in the back of his cell, falling in and out of a fitful sleep. It was unnervingly quiet. He missed the sounds of a busy ship. The throbbing hum of the core reverberating through the deck plates. The shuffling of feet, and the hushed conversations. But most of all, he missed the sound Tali's breath softly rising and falling beside him on his bed; missed the feel of her skin on his, the weight of her arm draped across his chest, the warmth of her body pressed against him as they lay huddled together.

Shepard was stirred by a sound outside the cell door. He stood from the cot, watching expectantly. The door hissed quietly, then slid into the wall. Standing in the opening was the only true friend Shepard appeared to have on the Citadel. "Anderson…" he said, an earnest smile spreading quickly across his face.  
"Shepard, are you alright?" Anderson said with concern, hurriedly entering the room. The two embraced briefly, both overcome with joy and relief. "I'm sorry it's taken so long," Anderson explained, "Udina and the Council members have been tying me down with red tape, feeding me false information. I've had to employ nearly every information broker on the Citadel, as well as bribe a somewhat shady C-Sec captain to find out where you were and what had happened. By the way, Bailey says that this is three that you owe him, now."  
Shepard smiled warmly "I'm alright, don't worry about me. Where's my crew? Are they alright?"  
Anderson's smile faded as he looked somberly at the ground. "The Normandy's crew received some leniency. The council believed they were only following orders. The majority had their passports revoked, and were returned to their respective colonies in the Terminus systems. Dr. Chakwas was pardoned in light of her years of service to the Alliance. Your companions, however ….. I'm sorry Shepard. Things have gone badly." Anderson said grimly, "The information brokers I've spoken with said that the 'impartial third party' the Council employed to decide their punishments had traceable ties to Cerberus and its various subgroups."  
Shepard looked Anderson squarely in the eyes. "Where are my friends, Councilman?"  
Anderson sighed. "They could be anywhere, spread throughout the galaxy. I've heard rumors, though, that a few managed to escape and get to safety. Jack was apparently being shipped to a Cerberus facility on the planet Binthu. The shuttle she was on was found a week later on Omega. The guards onboard had been dead for days. Zaeed, in fact, was never found on board. Inspectors think he may have managed to force his way out of the garbage disposal system, though none of them can figure out exactly how. According to a C-Sec report, Grunt wasn't captured in the initial attack. He managed to fight his way off of the Normandy and escape on a transport headed for Tuchanka. It may also interest you to know that a certain Turian rebel is being held without trial two levels below us."  
Shepard blanched at the thought of his missing friends, his gaze wandering around the room. His eyes snapped back to Anderson as a look of rage and sorrow bled through onto his face. "Tali." He said, "Where's Tali?"  
Anderson placed a hand on Shepard's shoulder. "I can't …" He stammered, "I can't tell you how sorry I am." His jaw tightened as he tried to find the words. "I managed to track her to Illium. She was sold into indentured servitude. Whoever did this, they have an established system. People are sold legally as indentured servants. Their contracts are then shuffled randomly between various owners, until the victim eventually falls through the cracks, disappearing into the paper-trail. After that, it could be slave camps …. or possibly worse. I…. I lost track of her almost immediately."  
Shepard stumbled backwards, catching himself against his bunk. Hot tears burned down his face, the slow burning powder keg of his rage near eruption. "Can you get me out of this cell?" he asked, his barely controlled words dripping with anger.  
"I've been trying, Shepard. I've used every legal asset available, but the council keeps outvoting me. They've always been suspicious of mankind, and now, with the allegations of a rogue Human Spectre, they're looking to throw you to the dogs. I'm sorry."

Anderson squeezed Shepard's arm gently, then turned for the exit. He opened the door, and stood halfway through the threshold, looking down the hallway to his right. Anderson called to a guard, hailing him over, and pursuing a congenial conversation. Although Shepard couldn't see the guard, he could tell from his voice that he stood directly in front of the Councilman, on the other side of the wall of his cell. Anderson casually unbuttoned his suit jacket, drawing it back and placing a hand on his hip. Shepard followed his hand, and spotted the heavy pistol slung low in his holster. He looked up to find Anderson looking in his direction. The older man subtly arched an eyebrow, then returned to his conversation. Shepard smiled quickly, faith in his old friend immediately restored. He quietly sidled closer to the door until he stood mere feet from Anderson, still out of sight of the distracted guard. In one smooth motion, he leapt forward, wrapping his left arm around Anderson's neck, his right hand drawing the weapon and hefting it over the Councilor's right shoulder. The startled officer stared down the barrel of the pistol, connecting with Shepard's dark eyes. "I'm going to need your armored uniform." Shepard growled. The guard's mouth dropped open and he nodded rapidly, then followed the two men back into the cell.

Shepard struggled with his chest plate, glaring at the diminutive guard, gagged and bound on the cot. "Who decided to make armor one-size-fits-all?" he grumbled to himself, trying to get comfortable in the restrictive uniform. "So," he asked, turning to Councilman Anderson, "did you have anything planned beyond getting me out of this cell?"  
"Well, the Normandy is locked down right where you left her." Anderson explained. "During the arrest, Joker suffered a number of serious stress fractures. Instead of moving him, and since Dr. Chakwas is familiar with his condition, he's being treated under lockdown in the Normandy's medical bay. I've spoken with him briefly. He said that EDI has managed to successfully hide herself from the various security inspections."  
"Good," Shepard replied, "They likely would have torn the ship apart if they'd found her. First things first, though: We pick up Garrus."  
"The lift is this way." Anderson directed. "He's being held two floors down, cell block C, number twenty six."

Shepard exited the lift behind Councilor Anderson, following closely, attempting to casually hide his face. When they reached unit twenty six, Sheppard stood in front of the hatch and keyed the release. The door slid open quietly to reveal Garrus lounging lazily on his cot. He looked up as Shepard entered the room. "Aren't you a little tall for a C-Sec officer?" he quipped.  
Shepard looked himself up and down, then shook his head and muttered "You've got to stop watching those old Earth vids." Garrus stood and gripped Shepard's hand in warm greeting. "No time for pleasantries," Shepard said quickly, "Our team is in trouble."  
As Sheppard began to turn, Garrus gripped harder onto his hand and pulled him back, searching his face. "Tali?" he asked quietly.  
Sheppard's eyes dropped. "She's…." he choked out, then stopped to center himself. After a heavy sigh, he met Garrus' eyes and said "There's no time. Every second we waste could put her …. put them _all_ in danger."  
"Understood, Commander." Garrus said calmly, "Let's get moving then."

The three men hurriedly made their way to the Citadel docks where the Normandy lay dormant in her berth. Keeping cover behind a transit console, Shepard looked to Anderson. "Councilor, I need you to contact EDI. Tell her to open the outer airlock. She'll also have to hack the traffic control station to release the docking clamps. Then I need you to get clear."  
"I could come with you." Anderson protested, "You could use another gun at your side."  
Shepard smiled at his old friend. "I know how handy you can be in a firefight, but if I'm going to rescue my team, I'll need to keep a low profile. If I've been charged with kidnapping a member of the Citadel Council, I'll be dogged at every port I land in."  
Anderson looked as if he were going to argue, then simply replied "Just tell me when to make the call."  
Shepard reached to the small of his back and withdrew the heavy pistol. Spying around the console, he memorized the position of the two C-Sec officers guarding the Normandy airlock. He turned, locking eyes with Anderson, and simply barked "Now!"

Shepard and Garrus barreled down the jetty towards the armed guards. Shepard began firing, disabling the kinetic barriers on both targets. The two guards quickly leapt for cover behind nearby shipping crates. Shepard snapped a sideways glance at Garrus and threw him the pistol. "Suppressive fire!" he shouted as he raced onwards. Garrus slowed his pace slightly to aim, and began taking pot-shots at the crates, keeping the guards at bay. As Shepard approached, he loosed a biotic shockwave through the deck plating, launching the soldiers into open space. As the two neared the end of the ramp, the clamps locking the Normandy in place cracked open, and the ship began to drift outwards. Shepard sprinted towards the departing vessel, but was quickly outpaced by Garrus, who looked back with the Turian equivalent of a competitive smile. As they neared the airlock, the hatch slid open. Garrus leapt into the open door, with Shepard racing to catch up. He reached the end of the jetty just as the Normandy cleared her berth. Throwing all of his momentum forward, he leapt towards the hatch. As soon as his feet left the platform, he knew he would never cover the distance. Just as he began to feel himself drift downwards, he pivoted his back towards the ship and fired a biotic throw towards the docks. He watched the fiery blue energy bolt arc high, then curve sharply under and turn back in his direction. The blast hit him squarely in the chest with bone crunching force. He was rocketed into the airlock, the cheap armor cracking loudly as he slammed into the interior door.  
EDI's mechanized voice sounded over the intercom as the external hatch clamped shut "Commander Shepard is aboard. Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau stands relieved."

**Chapter 3**  
**SSV Normandy SR2**

As Shepard slowly swam back to consciousness, his mind was heavily numbed by the throbbing ache scorching through his skull. He tried opening his eyes, but his vision was heavily blurred, seeing nothing more than vague shapes and outlines. Movement caught his attention, as a silhouetted face moved into view. He felt a soft hand stroke his forehead reassuringly. "Tali…." He mumbled softly, as he reached out and gently slipped his hand to her neck, tenderly stroking her cheek with his thumb. As his vision slowly began to crystallize, he heard a quiet but familiar chuckle. He blinked several times to regain his focus, then looked up to see Doctor Chakwas on the receiving end of his hand, smiling warmly down at him.  
"I'm sorry Commander, but it is nice to feel appreciated every now and then." She said with a grin, nuzzling into his palm teasingly.  
Shepard stifled a laugh, causing a sharp pain to shoot through is back. He withdrew his hand and ran it across his eyes groggily. "What happened?" he asked.  
"It was that dramatic entrance of yours." She answered with a warm chuckle. "As magnificent as it was, I'd recommend against trying it again. And the next time you steal someone's body armor, you'd best try to find someone who can afford the good stuff. That uniform shattered like glass on impact. You received some serious lacerations to your back, as well as a mild concussion. I'd like to keep you in the medical bay for a couple of days, just to be on the safe side."  
Shepard grunted painfully as he pulled himself to a sitting position and swung his legs over the side of the observation table. "Sorry Doc, but I don't have time for a concussion." He said, forcing himself to stand on his weakened legs.  
Chakwas tried to hide her smile as she sighed emphatically. "I thought you might say something to that effect, so I've given you some pain medication, as well as something to help you regain your mental acuity. You should start feeling it within a couple of minutes."  
Shepard smirked as he felt the pain begin to ebb, and walked gingerly towards the door. "What would I ever do without you, Doc?" he asked warmly.  
"Bleed to death in the airlock?" She teased, heading back to her medical terminal.

Shepard leaned heavily on the Briefing Room's conference table, looking across at Garrus and the graphical representation of EDI. "So, what do we know?" he asked.  
"Not much," Garrus explained, "We have the security footage of the Normandy being boarded, but that's about it."  
"I have the footage queued, if you would like to view it, Commander." EDI said, bringing up a holographic still-frame over the table.  
"Go ahead, EDI." Shepard replied. The frame surged to life, showing boarding parties tearing through various areas of the ship. Shepard located the view of his cabin and pointed to it. "EDI, can you isolate this section and replay it?"  
"Of course, Commander" she replied, as the view expanded and reset to the beginning. "Starting playback…" EDI intoned as the footage activated once more.  
Shepard's jaw tightened as he watched the small squad of thugs enter his cabin and toss Tali to the floor. As she was carried from the room, he could see the terror blazing from her eyes, even through her helmet. His fist tightened on the table as he contemplated his next move. After a moment, he said "We need more information … and I only know one person that I can trust to get it." He activated his comm. "Joker, get us to Illium, as fast as you can."  
"I'm on it, Commander." Joker replied. "Oh, and just in case anyone was wondering, I'm fine by the way ….. fractured a few ribs ….. but they're healing up pretty nicely ….. I mean, I know that no one asked, but I just thought I'd keep you informed ….. Oh, right. Illium. On it!"

Shepard stood alone before the door of the small office. In truth, this was one of the last places he wanted to be. His relationship with Liara was strained as of late, especially after she had learned of his feelings for Tali. Their affair had ended abruptly after the original Normandy was destroyed, and they had both moved on and changed in the past two years without ever truly addressing it. With a heavy sigh, he opened the door and entered.  
"Shepard," Liara said, surprised. "I wasn't expecting to see you." She looked past him into the hall beyond her door. "And where are your friends?" She asked politely. "It's pretty rare to see you without a couple of companions tagging along behind you."  
Sheppard's eyes drifted downwards for a moment, then met Liara's once more. "I've run into some trouble." He explained softly. "Cerberus had me arrested on false allegations, and my crew was kidnapped." His eyes moved to the large window behind her, scanning the cityscape of Nos Astra, the setting sun casting the world in orange and dark shadow. "Liara ….. someone's taken Tali" He said absently.  
Liara's face grew cold and distant. "I see…" she said, turning to her terminal. "You know I'd like to help you, Shepard, but I'm very close to tracking down the Shadow Broker, and I just don't have the time. Perhaps you could come back later. It was nice to see you." She said dismissively.  
Shepard could feel a burning heat behind his eyes as his blood boiled over. He slammed his fist against her desk and shouted "Damn it, Liara! What do you want from me?" Liara flinched, startled by his sudden fury. Shepard took a deep breath and composed himself. "Do you want me to say that I regret what happened? That I wish I hadn't died, gasping for breath over Alchera?" He asked, fighting to keep his rage from seeping into his words. "I'm sorry, but I can't say that. It was painful, torturous, and I lost everything. But in doing so, I've gained so much." His eyes softened as he took a seat in front of her desk, and he placed his hand atop hers. "We shared something special, once. Something unique that I'll carry with me for the rest of my life. If our time together meant nothing to you, then go ahead and kick me out of your office. But it meant something to me. If you ever really cared for me at all, then I beg you, please help me with this."  
Liara's icy blue eyes seemed to melt as she wiped a tear from her face. "Tell me what you need." She answered.  
"Can you tell me what happened to Tali? Where she might be?" He asked. "Councilman Anderson said that she was smuggled here and sold as an indentured servant."  
Liara's eyes seemed to physically darken at the news, turning her attention to her terminal. "I'm sorry, Shepard." She said. "This has been happening a lot, recently. Smuggling groups have been bringing victims to Illium to sell as slaves without leaving a trail to follow. It's similar to laundering money. People are sold as servants, then passed through a number of reputable employers before disappearing off the grid. It's almost impossible to track them once they've entered the system, even more so once they've vanished."  
Sheppard's heart sank as he keyed in his omnitool. "I have this recording of Tali's kidnapping. Can you tell me anything about it?"  
Liara scanned the footage intensely. After a moment, her eyes lit up, and she began typing furiously on her terminal. "That man…" she said, pointing at the thug with the hard-worn heavy armor, "That is Vido Santiago, leader of the Blue Suns. He's wanted on numerous charges throughout Citadel space. Recently, one of his highest producing refinery facilities was destroyed. He claims it was an industrial accident, but the financial loss has caused him to return to his roots, violence and extortion. I have no idea how you can find him, though."  
"I do," Shepard responded, a cold glint in his eyes. "Cerberus hired his old partner to work with me when we took out the Collectors. The only problem is, I have no idea how they contacted him." Shepard rubbed his hand over his cheek and down his throat as he contemplated his options. After a moment, he activated his omnitool again a brought up the information on his missing squad. "Two members of my crew were former Cerberus operatives." He said. "Can you find any information on where they might be?"  
Liara scanned the information, then searched the extranet. "Hmmm…." She muttered as she perused her data. "Sources say that one Miss Miranda Lawson was returned to her estranged father. He's a wealthy and powerful business man, owning property in numerous star clusters, so she could be anywhere." She scanned her screen for a moment, then continued typing. "Jacob Taylor, on the other hand…." She mumbled, almost to herself. "Ah, here we are. A person fitting the description of Jacob Taylor was seen being forced onto an unmarked transport heading for the planet of Nephron, in the Voyager cluster. Cerberus is rumored to have established a number of facilities there, so I would assume that would be your best bet."  
Shepard stood, a grateful smile on his face. "Thanks Liara," he said earnestly, "it's good to know you still have my back."  
"Always, Shepard. And thanks … for everything that you said." She replied. Shepard warmly took her hand, then turned towards the door. "And Shepard," Liara called after him. He paused and looked back to her. "I'll call in all of my favors; see if I can find out anything about these charges against you."  
Shepard nodded, his eyes conveying his gratitude. He hurried from the office and keyed in his comm. "Joker, prep the Normandy for departure." He said with a grin, "We're going hunting."

**Chapter 4**  
**Location Unknown**

Tali felt the pinch of the vice-like hands that held her arms and legs tightly. She struggled to see who was carrying her, but could see no further than the seams of the steely gray ceiling passing by overhead. The more she fought, the tighter the hands clamped down, armored fingers digging viciously into the soft tissue of her limbs. She shrieked and screamed, pleading for help, for rescue, but none came. Soon, all she could do was whimper Shepard's name quietly to herself as she was dragged through the seemingly endless corridor.

Tali awoke on the floor a small dark room, hot tears streaming down her face. She curled into a ball, quiet sobs racking through her body as the dreamed memory of her kidnapping faded into the darkness. She could still feel the dark welts on her arms and legs, a throbbing ache seeping down to her bones. "Shepard….." she cooed quietly to herself. "Help me Shepard….." After some time, she cautiously began examining her surroundings. She lay on the floor of a small, damp room. The walls seemed to be solid stone, as if carved into the face of a cliff. A small steel pallet bed lay against one wall, opposite a heavily reinforced door. The room also seemed to be extremely warm. Tali's body was slick with perspiration, despite the cool stone floor. She carefully crawled to the stiff bed and pulled herself up, sitting atop a threadbare blanket. She wiped her hand across her forehead absent mindedly. Looking down, she watched the small rivulets of sweat dribble off of the delicate skin of her fingers and pool on the cold stone floor. A shiver coursed down her spine. After a moment of reflection, she realized why, and was overcome by sheer terror. She looked down once more at the pale skin of her arms and legs. She had been stripped of her environmental suit. In its place, a thin cotton robe clung to her sodden skin. Her hands shot frantically to the walls and floor of the cell, only to be met by icy stone. She quickly realized that the air in the room had a bitter chill to it; it was her own body, struck by a blazing fever, which left her slowly melting. She trembled on the bed, too frightened to move or even think. She simply shuddered, pulling the blanket over her shoulders as she stared at the heavy door.

Some time later Tali awoke, having fallen into a fitful fever-induced sleep. A loud clanking noise outside of the door snapped her mind back to reality as she sat up, clinging tightly to her thin blanket. The door creaked heavily as it swung open, bright light pouring in from the hall. A tall, silhouetted man stood in the entrance, looking in at her. Her eyes sparked, a sense of hope and relief flooding over her. "....…Shepard?" She asked timidly. Her answer was received immediately in the form of a snarling laugh.  
"Sorry Miss Zorah," the stranger replied, "No such luck."  
The man limped into the cell, two armed guards following him in from the hall. As her eyes adjusted to the changing light, his scarred features slowly came into focus. Tali's eyes narrowed as recognition slowly set it. "…….Fist?" she asked in disbelief, "But your dead! Wrex shot you at point-blank range with his shotgun! He told me so himself!"  
A grim smile grew across Fist's face as he thumped his side proudly. "Lost a kidney …… half of my liver …… part of my right lung …… three feet of small intestine …… and I had my entire pelvis reconstructed." He said, taking perverse pleasure in his own mutilation. "They never got all of the bone fragments out, though. I still feel them, every day, gouging into my spine." He said in a thoughtful tone. "After my encounter with Shepard, I had to disappear, start over. So I kidnapped a few people, sold them into slavery, and here I am today."  
Tali shuddered in disgust. "What does Cerberus want with me?" She demanded, trying to force the fear out of her voice.  
Fist waved his hand dismissively. "You're like a mosquito buzzing around the head of an elephant." He said. Tali's face creased in confusion as she struggled to understand the cultural reference. Fist sighed in frustration. "Bloody aliens. Cerberus doesn't care about you." He explained as he stepped forward and callously grabbed her by the back of the neck. "They want Shepard. They want him broken, crawling back with his tail between his legs like the obedient dog that he should be! The Illusive Man heard about my little slavery ring and was impressed. He had heard of my previous … experience … with Shepard, and thought I might know of a way to help bring him to his knees." Fist dragged Tali from the room roughly, his powerful hand clenched around her thin neck. "There's something I'd like to share with you." Fist said cruelly as he pulled her down the hall. "A vision of your future." As they neared a door at the end of the hall, Fist turned and sneered into her face.  
"Go to hell, you Bosh'tet!" Tali shrieked as she spat in his face.  
Fist wiped a sleeve across his cheek with contempt. "Every morning I wake up in agony. Every night I try to sleep through the pain. I have you to thank for that." He said venomously as he drew a finger along her jaw in mock adoration. "The Illusive man gave me a great deal of money to deal with you. Of course, I never told him that I'd have done it for free." He pressed the release on the wall, and the door slid open. He hurled Tali through, sending her crashing to the floor. "Of course, the funds did come in quite handy. Helped me to build this."  
Tali stared in shock at the room around her. She lay in a large office, garishly decorated with examples of symbolic wealth. The floor and walls were all made of thick glass panels. She stared down through the floor at a cliff face sharply dropping off toward the bottom of a massive crater thousands of feet below. She stood and walked to the wall, looking out across the open crater's basin. Far below in the distance lay a large industrial complex, oily fumes belching forth from numerous exhaust vents. "What is this place?" She asked in confusion. "Where are we?"  
"This?" Fist replied in overtly casual tones, "Why, this is my own little piece of paradise. A little known asteroid, just big enough to hold onto a trace atmosphere. Rich in Element Zero too." He pointed off to the complex in the distance. "And that, my dear, is your new home. I built it just for you. I assumed a Quarian would appreciate such a gesture." He snarled. "It's filled with slaves, just like you. You'll mine my Eezo, and keep me comfortably wealthy. Well, wealthy enough that my pain stays secondary to my personal pleasures."  
Tali felt her pulse race as adrenaline poured into her veins. She clenched her fist tightly, and with lightening fast movement, punched him squarely in the jaw. "When Shepard finds you, you'll wish you had given me the chance to kill you myself." She said, the last trace of fear in her voice replaced with rock-hardened resolve.  
Fist recoiled from the hit. A crooked smile twisted his lips as blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. He looked up and down Tali's fever-ridden visage with a smirk. "I think you'll do well in the mines." He said coldly, as he signaled for his guards. He turned and faced the window, looking out over his domain. "But first, I think I'll have these gentlemen take you back to your room, see what a few weeks without an enviro-suit will do for your attitude." The two men lifted Tali harshly and dragged her from the room, leaving Fist to enjoy his ill-begotten kingdom.

In the distant Voyager star cluster, the Normandy SR2 hung silently in space over the night-side of a dark, volcanic planet. Shepard stood in front of the briefing room's conference table looking over a holographic representation of the Cerberus facility on the planet below. The complex was spread along an East-West axis, with the only entrance opening into the wide valley floor to the East. Jagged volcanic ridges and spires spread in all directions, giving the site the hellish quality it likely deserved. "What can you tell me about this place, EDI?" Shepard asked.  
"Information in my databanks regarding this facility is spotty at best," EDI replied, "but ground based survey probes have identified this as the most likely target." The display zoomed in on the Western section of the complex. "This would seem to be some manner of interrogation and internment room, making it the most likely location for Jacob to be held. The pressure ridges to the West of the facility would provide excellent cover for a ground based assault, but it appears Cerberus has identified this possible attack route. The West-most wall of this facility is heavily fortified, and has automated heavy weapons turrets. If you attacked from the Eastern entrance, however, you would be forced to engage the entirety the complex's inhabitants."  
"Wouldn't be the first time." Garrus muttered from the other side of the table.  
"Is that all we've got?" Shepard asked.  
"I'm sorry, Shepard, at present that is all of the information I have available."  
Shepard massaged his forehead gently as he thought. The pain medication Doctor Chakwas had given him was slowly wearing off, leaving a dull migraine aching through his skull. He carefully stretched his back, his stitched wounds itching uncomfortably. "So, Garrus, looks like it might be you and me against an entire Cerberus base." He said, frustration edging into his voice. After a few more moments of thought, he rapped his knuckles against the table. "Right, Garrus, go get your gear together. You'll need your sniper rifle for this one."  
"I'll go get it from under my pillow, then." Garrus said lightheartedly as he stood and left the room.  
Shepard keyed in his comm. "Joker, could you come down to the briefing room? I'm going to need an extra gun on my side for this operation."  
There was a long pause, then Joker replied uneasily "……Sure thing Commander, I'm on my way. But you do realize that if I shoot a gun, I'm more likely to hurt myself then whoever the hell I'm aiming at, right?"

Shepard lay on his stomach overlooking a ridge to the West of the complex. Through his airtight helmet he sighted down his rifle, examining the heavy defenses of the Western wall. Apart from the turrets, a dozen armed operatives patrolled the exterior. "Garrus," he said over his comm, "are you in position?"  
"Ready when you are, Commander." Garrus replied.  
Shepard looked high atop the valley peak to the East. "Fire at will." He ordered. As he watched, he spotted the muzzle flash of several rounds being fired. Seconds later, the loud crack of each shot reached his ear. The patrolling guards, yelling into their comms and barking orders at each other, ran frenzied to the East entrance to defend the facility. Shepard smiled inside his helmet and keyed in his comm once more. "Joker, you're up." He said. After waiting nearly a minute without any response, Shepard moved to repeat his order. Before he could, a distant rumble sounded on the horizon. "That's my cue." Shepard mumbled to himself. He picked up the small pack lying beside him and leaped over the ridge. Landing on his feet, he began running at a measured pace towards the wall. What began as a low rumble had now built into an ear-shattering scream. Shepard snapped a look to the North as the Normandy whipped over the spires of ancient volcanoes in a direct line with the Western fortifications.  
"I'm coming, Commander." Joker yelled, "Let's see if we can't find you a back door." As Joker's comm channel closed, the Thanix canon erupted with a fierce blue light. The beam scorched across the ground, racing towards the complex, completely engulfing the Western wall. Shepard shaded his eyes from the blinding light as he continued his race forward. As fast as it came, the Normandy vanished over the Southern horizon.  
Shepard broke into a sprint, racing towards the gaping maw that once was a solid wall. He leapt over the large trench left behind by the canon and landed in a roll on the inside of the facility. Standing, he spotted Jacob strapped to an interrogation table, three Cerberus operatives gasping for breath as the carbon dioxide and krypton atmosphere poured into the room. Shepard raced over to Jacob and opened his pack, pulling out a small breath mask. He strapped it over to Jacob's mouth and quickly flashed him the "ok" hand signal. For a moment, Jacob struggled to breathe, then calming slightly, returned the sign. Undoing the various straps, Shepard yelled into his comm "Garrus, I've got him. We need immediate Evac, bring the shuttle to the breached wall." Just as he finished relaying the message, he heard the telltale whine of the shuttle engines as it whipped into view and sidled skillfully into the burnt-out room.  
As the hatch popped open, Garrus leaned out and chuckled. "I'm right here, Commander. There's no need to shout."

Standing over an observation table in the medbay of the Normandy SR2, Shepard looked down at Jacob. "Despite what he's been through, he's suffered very little trauma." Chakwas stated, adjusting the oxygen line that ran under his nose. "He has some minor inflammation in his respiratory system from atmospheric exposure, but he should recover quickly."  
"Throat's a little raw, but the Doc says I should be ready for duty in a few hours." Jacob said hoarsely, looking up at his Commander. "Thanks for coming to get me Shepard. I've never …" He said before being interrupted by a vicious cough. "I've never had a CO who would put their life on the line for me the way you just did. I just want you to know I appreciate what you've done."  
"You're a member of my crew." Shepard said warmly. "You're a part of my family. And right now, family's about all that we've got. What did Cerberus want with you anyway?"  
"They wanted to know about you. They wanted everything that I'd learned about you while we served together. They started off easy, offering me my job back, plus a few major perks. Then they moved on to drugs. When you showed up, they were just starting in on torture." Jacob said, squaring his jaw. "I didn't tell them a damn thing."  
Shepard smiled. "I hope that doesn't hold true for me, too. I need your help, Jacob."  
Jacob met his eyes firmly. 'Name it, Commander, and it'll be done."  
Shepard's eyes glazed slightly as he seemed to stare through the bulkheads and out into the starry expanse for several heart beats. "Tali's been kidnapped." He said quietly. "And I'm going to get her back. I don't care what it takes, what I have to give. I need to get her back." His eyes hardened again and found Jacob's. "The only one who can lead me to her is Zaeed, but he disappeared when the Normandy was raided. I need to know how to contact him, how Cerberus contacted him when he was first hired."  
A look of shame and guilt spread across Jacob's face. "I think you rescued the wrong Cerberus agent." Jacob said sullenly. "I've said it before, I'm just a soldier. They gave me a gun and pointed me at what to shoot. I was only ever told what was necessary to complete a mission, nothing more. What you're looking for is Miranda's territory."  
"Miranda was taken back to her father, and they've both disappeared off the grid." Shepard explained. "You've known her the longest, Jacob. Do you know where they might be?"  
A smile spread across Jacob's face. "Now _that_ I can help you with. Among other things, Miranda's father is a majority shareholder in the ExoGeni Corporation. For the past five years, he's been entrenched on Feros, searching through the Prothean ruins. Probably looking for some more Tech to work into his next daughter."  
Shepard squeezed Jacob's shoulder affably. "I knew you'd come through for me, Jacob." He said with a grin. "Now rest. I'm going to need you at the top of your game if any of this is ever going to work." Turning, he activated the comm unit on the wall. "Joker, we have to get to Feros. I think we need to look up some old friends."

**Chapter 5**  
**Zhu's Hope, Feros**

Shepard sat alone at a table in a dark corner of the dimly lit bar. He'd spent most of the day trying to track down an old acquaintance, and had found she often frequented this small tavern. He drew his tongue across his teeth in an attempt to remove the bitter flavor as he looked down at the glass of thick, dark sludge in front of him. He was told it was some form of local liquor, but the near-black liquid tasted as though it had been filtered through a used air scrubber. Still, he welcomed the subtle numbing sensation spreading across his neck and shoulders, dulling the ache in the back of his skull. A young Quarian waitress approached his table. "Can…… a …… can I get you anything else?" She squeaked nervously. Shepard looked at his half empty glass, than back up to the young woman. He could see her sad eyes glowing beneath her dark blue face plate, shifting uncomfortably between him and the floor.  
"Your Pilgrimage hasn't been going well, has it?" Shepard inquired, genuine concern leaching into his voice.  
The girl's head quirked at an angle as she studied Shepard carefully. "How …… how could you know that?" She asked. He smiled warmly as he gently took the serving tray from under her arm and pushed out the chair opposite him with his foot, inviting her to sit. The girl eyed Shepard suspiciously a moment longer, then warily took a seat. "I thought after the Geth had attacked Feros, ExoGeni would be looking for as many skilled technicians as they could find." She explained. "I spent all of my savings getting to these damned ruins, and everyone refused hire me just because I'm Quarian. I needed money, so I took this job. Now I spend all day getting pinched and prodded by drunken ExoGeni techs who have nowhere near the expertise that I do."  
Shepard found himself entranced once more by her familiar eyes. He leaned in closely and extended his hand. "Can I use your omnitool for a second?" he asked quietly. The young Quarian's eyes narrowed slightly, but she relented and gave him her left hand. He took her hand in his and activated the omnitool. After a few seconds of typing, he looked up at her. "Go to the Arinlarkan System, in the Omega nebula. There's a derelict freighter called the Strontium Mule. It's been cleared it of all hostiles, I took care of it myself. I've input the exact location. Take it and get yourself home." He said, releasing her hand.  
"I have no money and no transport. How am I supposed to get there?" she asked, drawing her arm back. She looked down and unfolded the long fingers of the hand Shepard had held. Inside lay a two thousand credit chit. She looked up in shock. "Why are you doing this?" she asked, standing up guardedly. "What do you want from me?"  
Shepard shook his head, dragging a hand tiredly across his face. "I know a Quarian." He explained softly. "A friend …… more than a friend. Something …… special. I owe her my life, and a great deal more. I need to find her ……" He looked up at her and saw that her bright eyes had softened. A crooked smile crossed his lips. "Never mind, I'm babbling. Let's just say the Quarian people have given me more happiness than I could have ever hoped for. I'd gladly spend the rest of my life repaying my debt." He said graciously. "Take the credits, take the ship, and get back to your family. Trust me. You could spend years looking for something incredible to bring back to them, but all that they really want back is you."  
"……Thank you." The girl said, tears filling her voice. She brought her hand to Sheppard's face and stroked his cheek in gratitude. "I hope you find your friend." Shepard clenched his teeth, forcing his jaw to stop trembling at the familiar sensation of a Quarian hand caressing his skin. He watched as the girl turned and headed for the door, looking back only once, her eyes connecting with Sheppard's before she strode through the exit.

After forcing down the remainder of the viscous liquor in his glass, Shepard spotted a young Asari woman enter and move towards the bar. Her unusual green tinted skin made her easy to pick out from the crowd. He picked up his glass and stood, following closely behind her, tapping her shoulder gently once they had reached the bar. Shiala turned, recognizing him immediately. "Shepard!" She said in surprise, squeezing his arm warmly. "It's great to see you here! Let me buy you a drink, it's the least that I can do for you after all you've done for me."  
Shepard looked down at the dark sediments resting at the bottom of his glass. He met her eyes and smirked. "I think I'll take a rain check on the drink," He said, chuckling to himself. "but I could use some information. I'm looking for an ExoGeni employee. Her name's Lizbeth Baynham. She was working on the Thorian project the last time I was here."  
"Oh, I know Liz." Shiala said with a smile. "And she still is working on the Thorian, in one form or another. She has been assigned to keep track of the spore concentrations in the lower levels of the settlement. If you're looking for her, that would likely be the best place to start."  
"Thanks Shiala." Shepard said, setting his glass down with a grin. "Next time we meet, let's do it somewhere that serves something other than alcoholic tar."

Shepard walked slowly through the darkened corridors of the lower levels. During the day, the Prothean ruins were a remarkable feat of architecture to be viewed. This late at night, however, they felt more like rotting catacombs than an archaeological wonder. Through the dim light, he noticed the corridor widening into a large chamber ahead. He began to quicken his pace, then stopped dead as he heard a deep guttural snarl emanating from the room before him. Shadows shifted as something large stalked into the space. Light glinted off of a pair of eyes close to the ground. Before Shepard could reach for his pistol, a hulking bull varren leapt from the darkness, knocking him to the floor. Shepard grabbed the beast by the throat, keeping it's gnashing teeth from his face. He tried to reach to the small of his back for his weapon, but the incredible weight of the hungry varren kept him pinned to the floor. Instead, he maneuvered his free hand under the varren's chest, keeping it inches from the heaving creatures skin. Shepard's body erupted with fiery blue energy as a biotic throw erupted from his hand, sending the varren smashing violently into the ceiling. Shepard quickly rolled to the side, just missing the hefty corpse as it crashed to the floor. He stood, cursing angrily to himself. He stretched his back carefully, sensing that several of his stitches had popped open. Grumbling, he walked on, absent mindedly dusting himself off as he exited the hall. He casually looked to his right as he entered into the large room just in time to see a scorching shot racing towards his head. As the blistering bolt sizzled off of his shields, he sighted down the barrel of the pistol leveled at him. "It's good to see your aim's improved, Liz." He deadpanned. Lizbeth Baynham's jaw dropped as she lowered her gun. "Shepard!" she half-laughed as she ran over and wrapped her arms around his neck warmly. "You've got to stop startling me like that!"  
"If I do, will you _**please**_ stop shooting me?" Shepard teased.  
"What are you doing here?" She asked, a wide grin plastered across her face. "Surely you didn't come all this way just to see me."  
"Yes and no." Shepard replied as he pulled back from her friendly embrace. "I need your help. A member of my crew is being held captive in the ExoGeni head quarters, and I need to find a way in. If I could, I'd really like to do it without ballistic demolitions this time."  
"Well," Lizbeth said thoughtfully, "Getting you in shouldn't be too hard. I can put in for a replacement uniform for you, and coming up with some fake ID's shouldn't be too much trouble. You can take one of the public transports with the rest of the staff in the morning. The hard part is going to be locating your friend. You'll have to find a terminal within HQ to download the latest facility schematics. They'll show you guard placements and the most likely places to look. The problem is, I can't get you access. You'll likely have to hack your way in."

Shepard walked through the halls of the ancient Prothean building, repurposed to serve ExoGeni's needs. He self-consciously tugged at the uncomfortable uniform slacks he wore. The ID's Lizbeth had found worked perfectly at getting him in unnoticed, but the uniform she had obtained fit rather snugly, leaving little to the imagination. He pulled his cap down tightly, trying his best to blend in to his surroundings. He wandered aimlessly down several halls and corridors looking for a terminal he could hack into without being noticed. After several minutes, he found one on the wall of an empty hallway. He quickly activated his omnitool and put his limited tech skills to use. After twenty infuriating minutes of attempted hacking, Shepard began wishing he had simply come in guns blazing as opposed to all of this stealth and espionage. _If Tali were here, we'd have been in and out twice by now_ he thought to himself. After several more attempts he was close to giving up and trying something else when he heard someone clear their throat nearby. He looked over his right shoulder and saw a young Asari woman eyeing him up and down. She wore an ExoGeni security uniform, identifying her as a high ranking officer, and bore a large assault rifle in the crook of her arm. Striking red facial markings stood out against the pale blue of her skin. "Can I help you with something?" The woman asked suspiciously.  
_Well, looks like it's about time I showed all of Feros why I never went into acting_ he thought to himself. Shepard's shoulders dropped dramatically as he sighed in exasperation. "Could you give me a hand, here?" He asked, looking over at the security officer.  
The woman walked over, her eyes still scanning his body with interest. One of her brows arched highly. "What are you trying to do?" She asked.  
"I'm new here. I'm not sure where I'm supposed to be and I'm already late for my first shift." Shepard said, laying on his frustration thickly. "I'm trying to access the most recent schematics of the facility, but I think there's something wrong with my omnitool."  
The woman flashed a flirty smile and stepped closer, activating her omnitool. After several moments, the schematic appeared on Shepard's screen. The woman leaned in closer, and said softly into his ear. " There you go. But in return, you have to go get a drink with me after work. My name's Eeyana, by the way."  
Shepard smiled, pouring on the charm. "My friends call me Shep." He said gently. "The bar in Zhu's Hope, then?"  
"It's a date." Eeyana whispered in return. She turned and walked behind him. "Welcome to Feros." She murmured as she walked past, patting his behind teasingly. Shepard watched her walk down the hall, blushing with genuine surprise and embarrassment, reminding himself to thank Lizbeth for her choice in uniforms.

Miranda sat on the bed of her small room. It was elegantly appointed with paintings and pieces of statuary dotting the room. In truth, though, she much preferred her spartan quarters aboard the Normandy SR2. A large Batarian guard stood next to the door, keeping a vigilant eye on her. Since being captured, she had been moved from facility to facility in an attempt to confuse her trail. She had only been brought to Feros to see her father a few days ago. She was positive he had brought her here to find out where Oriana was, but she had yet to be questioned by anyone. There was a noise at the door as the opening mechanism was triggered and the hatch slid into the wall. A young ExoGeni tech walked nervously into the room, shrinking away from the intimidating Batarian. He handed the guard a datapad and mumbled something about a message from Eeyana. The guard sighed emphatically as he removed his helmet and placed it on a nearby table. He took the datapad, then turned and walked towards the far wall to read the message privately. The young tech silently lifted a large stone statue from the room's dresser. Stretching out to his full height, he snuck behind the Batarian and brought the heavy figure crashing down on the back of the guard's head. Turning, the man removed his cap and smiled. Miranda recognized him immediately. "Shepard!" She said in astonishment, "How the hell did you get in here?"  
"What do you mean, how the hell did I get in here?" Shepard said lightheartedly. "After today's performance, I'm thinking of auditioning for Francis Kitt's next production of The Merchant of Venice. I could out-act an Elcor any day!"  
Miranda laughed, then quickly embraced him. "Thanks for coming for me, Shepard. I was afraid …… for myself …… for Oriana." She said.  
"That's the best thing about joining my crew." Shepard said, giving her shoulder a friendly squeeze. "It comes with a great insurance policy. I will _always_ be here to bail you out."  
Miranda hugged him tightly once more, then pulled back smiling. "So, what's the plan from here?" She asked.  
Shepard rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. "Well, I'm actually kind of new to this whole 'cloak-and-dagger' thing. Do you have any suggestions?"  
Miranda smirked, then said "There's a sky-bridge on the upper levels of this building where they brought me in. It leads straight back to Zhu's Hope. I spotted a number of old-model ground transports. Let's head there, see if we can't find one that still works." Miranda turned and headed for the door.  
"Wait, wait, wait…" Shepard said.  
Miranda turned back. "What's wrong?" she asked.  
Shepard looked her white uniform up and down. " Uhh …..." he mumbled uncomfortably. "Well, you pull of that Cerberus outfit nicely, but I have a feeling it might draw some unwanted attention if we're trying to escape unnoticed."  
"Well what the hell am I supposed to wear?" Miranda asked in frustration.  
Shepard cocked an eyebrow as he nudged the unconscious guard with his foot. "Worked great for me the last time that I tried it."

Miranda stepped out of the elevator into the top-level hanger. She struggled to keep the large Batarian helmet seated straight on her head as Shepard walked past her. The room was littered with numerous vehicles in various states of disrepair. "Let's spread out, see if we can find anything that might work." He said.  
After several minutes of searching, Miranda heard a shout from the other side of the hangar. "Miranda, come here! I've found something!" Miranda quickly located Shepard standing atop a well-worn vehicle, covered in dust and debris.  
She looked over the rusted hulk with disapproval. "How do you know this thing will even run?" She asked.  
Shepard looked down, a nostalgic smile crossing his face. "This old girl? You could drive her through a field of Geth and she'd come out looking better than when she went in." he said as he knelt down, appreciatively patting the hull.

Outside of the hangar, the sun was reaching its highest point in the Feros sky. Light glinted off of the ancient rails of the Prothean skyway as a gentle breeze cast motes of dust soaring across the landscape. A deep, crunching rumble emanated from within the hangar, followed by complete silence. In an instant, the heavy hangar door exploded outward in a fiery ball, shards of stone and twisted metal spraying in all directions. Out of the smoking ruin leapt the M35 Mako, its micro-thrusters firing to carry it over the flaming debris. Miranda sat in the passenger seat, her fingernails clawing deeply into the armrests as she was thrown against her restraints. She looked across at Shepard, his face beaming with pure exhilaration. With an infectious smile, he keyed in his comm. "Joker, prep the Normandy for departure. We're coming in, and we're riding in style."

**Chapter 6**  
**SSV Normandy SR2**

Shepard sat at the communal table in the ship's galley, sharing a meal with his newly reacquired crew. He pushed the freeze dried emergency rations around his plate distastefully. With most of the service staff exiled to the terminus systems, they were forced to make do with what few ready-made edibles were available onboard. Jacob bit into his rations, grimacing. "How can you eat that stuff?" Garrus said wincingly as he stirred a small bowl of nutrient paste.  
"Trust me," Jacob replied, "I'd much rather eat that slop if my system could handle it."  
Garrus chuckled quietly, raising a glass of water. "It's good to see a few more faces sitting around the table." The rest of the small crew happily joined in the toast, raising their glasses.  
Shepard looked down at his cup, then back up at the festive scene before him. "This table still seems a little too empty to be celebrating." Shepard said solemnly.  
The table grew silent for a few moments before Garrus replied. "You're right Shepard, I'm sorry. We've got too much on our plate to get distracted now."  
Joker looked down at his meal mournfully. "I wish I had a little more on my plate …" He half-whispered.  
Shepard cradled his forehead in his hands. Several of the wounds on his back had become painfully infected during the rescue on Feros, which only added to the throbbing migraine that constantly burned in the back of his mind. "No, I'm sorry Garrus. You're right, you all deserve congratulations. In the past few days, we've done what anyone else would have considered impossible. Hell, if we weren't all fugitives, I'd recommend the Alliance give you all medals. As things stand, though, I guess you'll have to settle for …… whatever this is." He said pushing away his plate.  
Garrus smiled warmly and raised his glass once more. "To whatever this is!" he enthused. Shepard joined the crew in their jovial toast, then leaned back in his seat wearily.  
Miranda leaned forward over the table, trying to get his attention. "Shepard, I've checked with a few of my contacts. I think I know where we can find Zaeed."  
Shepard arched an eyebrow with interest as he leaned forward. "And where might that be?"  
"The only place a disreputable man like Zaeed can do business." She replied with a smirk. "Noveria."  
Shepard looked to Joker. "You aren't still hungry, are you Jeff?" He asked lightheartedly.  
Joker sighed and pushed his plate back, carefully standing up. "Ah hell, we're more likely to run into a drive-through down there than we are floating around up here, right?" He quipped as he turned and headed for the cockpit.

The small transit terminal was bustling with activity. Shepard sat on a small bench facing a wall of lockers. As per Miranda's instructions, he had left a datapad in one of the lockers, which Zaeed would check for regularly. Under normal circumstances, the pad would contain contact information, as well as data on the target and bounty being offered. This time, however, the information was false, fabricated to bring Zaeed out of hiding. And so Shepard sat, casually watching the lockers. After over an hour of surveying the scene, a man approached the neighboring locker. He wore a long over coat, and kept his face turned from the nearby crowds. After rummaging aimlessly for several moments, he smoothly opened the target locker and slipped the pad into his pocket. After several more minutes of searching, the man closed the neighboring locker and walked briskly away.  
Shepard stood and began following the man, careful to stay several paces behind him to avoid suspicion. The man continued onward for a short while, then abruptly turned into a dark alley. Shepard strode quickly to the corner and entered the small passage. He walked carefully through the dark, his target nowhere to be found. A few steps later, however, he felt the icy kiss of a pistol pressing into the back of his neck. "I spotted you before you had even left the datapad, Shepard." Zaeed said, pride seeping deeply into his words.  
Shepard turned to find the man's cold eyes upon him. "I hadn't heard from you since we parted ways." He said casually, ignoring the pistol aimed at his throat. "How have you been Massani?"  
A grim smile curled across Zaeed's face. "You sneaky bastard." He said, his voice betraying the great respect he held for Shepard. "I knew C-Sec couldn't keep you for long." Zaeed lowered his weapon, but it remained tightly gripped in his left hand.  
Shepard eyed him carefully before he spoke. "I need your expertise, Zaeed. I need you back on my team."  
"Sorry, Shepard. Not this time." Zaeed replied. "I've just picked up some interesting information, and I have one hell of a debt to repay." Zaeed slapped Sheppard's shoulder affably, then turned and headed towards the mouth of the alley.  
"I'm going after Santiago." Shepard called after him.  
Zaeed paused, then turned, fire in his eyes. He marched back into the alley, hefting the pistol in his left hand to the level of Shepard's chest. "No." He growled coldly. "You took him away from me on Zorya. You destroyed twenty years of work. Now I finally find he's made his was here to Noveria, and you're going to take him from me again? No, Shepard, I won't let you."  
In all of the time he had spent in command of the Normandy, Shepard had learned how best to manage his crew members. Tali was best approached rationally, with unconditional support and a warm smile. Garrus, with friendship and a sarcastic quip. For Jacob, it was best to appeal to his strategic mind. Joker was to be treated with the same respect afforded to any soldier, and always taken with a grain of salt. With Miranda, it was best to approach her honestly, and hope that she'd respect you enough to return the same. Zaeed, though, was a different beast entirely. A lifetime spent almost solely on vengeance had left him an eternal alpha male, constantly trying to muscle his way to the top of the pack. The only way gain his respect was to prove your dominance, challenge him with cold, hard aggression.  
Shepard looked down at the pistol aimed at his chest, then locked eyes with Zaeed. Without breaking his gaze, he quickly jogged left, then lunged forward, the pistol sliding under his right arm. Taking full advantage of his years of military training, Shepard wrapped his right arm around Zaeed's, locking the weapon in place, while his left hand clenched around the man's throat, slamming him into the nearby wall with a bone-jarring crunch. While Zaeed gasped for breath, Shepard drew in closely until their faces were mere inches apart. "Santiago took someone from me." He seethed through cleaned teeth, his eyes drilling into Zaeed's. "Someone that I can't live without. I'm going to take her back, and you're not going to stand in my way. He's _**MINE!**_ You can have what's left when I'm finished."  
For several tense moments Zaeed simply returned Shepard's icy stare. Just as it seemed he might retaliate, his arm relaxed and he broke eye contact. "What's your plan, Commander?" he asked, relenting.  
Shepard released his arm and stepped back slightly, but kept his hand gripped tightly on his neck. "Simply put? We find him. We take him somewhere quiet, somewhere private." He said as his hand moved from Zaeed's neck to his jacket's collar, carefully straightening it. "Then we ask him …… as politely as humanly possible."  
Zaeed's wicked smile returned once more. "Well, if there's one thing I've never lost, it's my manners." He quipped maliciously.  
"Where is he? Where can we find him?" Shepard asked, keeping the careful edge of dominance in his voice.  
"He's been hanging around in the local slums, mainly roughing up business owners for protection money." Zaeed replied.  
Shepard sighed in frustration. "It can't be either of us that picks him up." He said quietly. "If he spots one of us, he'll bolt, and I don't have time to hunt him down again."  
Zaeed's eyes glinted mischievously. "Vido knows what he likes. Vido gets what he likes. And what Vido likes?" Zaeed whispered, drawing in closely, "Vido likes brunettes."  
Shepard arched an eyebrow, then activated his comm. "EDI, patch me through to Miranda."  
After a few seconds of silence, the comm crackled back to life. "What can I do for you, Commander?" Miranda asked.  
"I think you're going to regret asking that." Shepard said disconcertedly. "I need you to do me a favor ……"

Miranda stood alone outside the gates of a small garage. She owed Shepard a great deal. Not only had he helped get Oriana to safety when her father tried to retake her, he had saved Miranda from the bastard himself. After this, though, she would consider the debt repaid in full and the some. She shivered, cursing the icy planet. She wore a thick, knee length coat, which helped fight off the cold. What she wore beneath it, though, offered no thermal protection at all: an outfit usually reserved for Asari dancers. She had spent much of the afternoon fending off lusting males of just about every species she had ever seen while she waited for Santiago to make an appearance. As she scanned the nearby crowd, and man came into view wearing a familiar set of battered heavy armor, the Blue Suns logo emblazoned on his chest. He shoved his way through the crowd on a bee line towards her. She continued watching the people passing by, feigning extreme disinterest in Vido's approach. He stepped closer, awkwardly attempting to get her attention.  
"How you doing?" he asked in greeting, eyeing her voraciously.  
"Could be better, I suppose." She said casually.  
Vido leaned in closely. "So, uhh …" He stammered, "do you want to …… you know …… go somewhere?"  
Miranda finally met his eyes. "I don't know." She said coyly. "Do you think you can afford …… where I want to go?"  
Vido grinned desperately. "Oh, I'm sure I can, I've got plenty of money."  
Miranda pretended to consider the offer for a few moments. "…… Alright. I've got a driver inside, he'll take us somewhere nice. Follow me." Miranda turned and lead Vido into the garage, heading for a small shuttle. As she reached the transport, she bent down to open the door. She nearly yelped as Vido grabbed a handful of her behind. Incensed, she gritted her teeth and fought the urge to turn and break his nose. Instead, she stood and forced a smile. "They say patience is a virtue. After you." She said, holding the hatch open. Vido eagerly slid into the cabin, followed by Miranda. "Vido Santiago, I'd like to introduce you to my driver, Jacob."  
Vido cast a suspicious eye to Miranda "I never told you my name ……" he said.  
Jacob turned from the front seat, holding the business end of a shotgun. "You're right, She didn't." he said with a smirk. "Shepard did." With that, Jacob swung the heavy weapon, smashing the stock against Vido's temple. As Santiago lay crumpled against the bulkhead, Jacob looked Miranda up and down teasingly.  
Miranda sighed in exasperation as she wrapped herself tightly in her coat. "Just drive, Jacob." She said, rolling her eyes.

Vido woke some hours later, his head lolling backwards, looking up at a stained ceiling. He tried to bring a hand to rub the sore spot on his head, but found his arms and legs had been tightly strapped to those of a small metal chair. A thick gag was tied tightly about his head, digging deeply into his mouth. He sat up straight to find Shepard sitting casually in a similar chair directly in front of him. He quickly scanned the small, run-down hotel room. The floor and walls had more smudges and marks than he cared to count. Or consider what had made them, for that matter. Zaeed Massani sat on the foot of a bed a few feet to his left. A heavy back-hand across the face brought his attention back to Shepard.  
"Good to see you again, Vido." He said, as he pulled a small side table closer to his chair. He carefully pulled out his M-6 Carnifex Hand Cannon and placed it atop the table alongside three thermal clips. "We've been looking all over for you. I've got a question that I need answered." He continued as he turned to look Vido squarely in the eyes. "And if I don't like the answer you give …… Well, I'm afraid I'll have to ask harder. You see, this hotel hasn't been doing so well lately. The owner was more than happy to rent me this entire floor, as well as those above and below. You know, just to ensure we don't disturb anyone's sleep."  
Vido fought to curse violently over his gag, but all that escaped was a dry gurgling noise. "I'm glad to see you understand." Shepard said with a cold smile. "So, onto the question. I'll keep it slow and simple. Where … is … Tali?"  
Shepard pulled the gag from Vido's mouth so he could respond. "Go to hell you son of a b****!" he yelled, then spat in Shepard's face.  
Shepard quickly replaced the gag and wiped the spittle from his cheek. Reaching over, he picked up the heavy pistol and loaded a thermal clip into it. He leveled the pistol at the center of his captive's forehead. Vido's eyes gaped, then slammed shut. Shepard shifted his aim slightly to the right and pulled the trigger. Vido screamed through his gag as he felt the shot tear through the top of his ear. Shepard quickly ejected the glowing hot cartridge, watching it sizzle on the worn carpet. He picked up the small cylinder and pressed it against the bleeding stump of Santiago's ear. Vido shrieked violently around the cloth gag as his ear was cauterized shut, the wet cartilage hissing as it was blisteringly curled along the contours of the clip. "Wouldn't want you bleeding out before you'd told me something." Shepard said, dropping the cartridge to the floor. Vido whimpered quietly to himself, tears and saliva dripping from his face. Shepard picked up the second thermal clip and loaded it. He took the pistol and pressed the barrel down firmly atop Vido's knee, aimed downward through the entirety of his lower leg. "Where is Tali?" Shepard repeated, lowering the gag once more. "The Quarian girl? Fist's got her!" Vido babbled, sobbing heavily. "He bought her from me, took her away!"  
Shepard was shocked to hear Fist's name, but managed to keep his composure. He tightened the gag once more, and leaned in closely. "I'm sorry, but you didn't answer my question." He whispered. "I want to know _where_ she is." Vido's face blanched as Shepard sat back pulled the trigger. Vido's whimpering erupted into a gurgling scream as the slug tore through is leg, burying itself deeply in his calf. Shepard ejected the clip, catching the blazing cartridge in his armored fingers and pressing it fiercely against the oozing wound in Vido's leg. Vido leaned to the side and vomited past his gag, howling between dry heaves. Shepard grimaced with disgust as he tossed the cartridge to the floor and loaded his third. "Last thermal clip." He said, grabbing Vido by the jaw and forcing him to meet his eyes. "You had better tell me what I want to know, because I'm going to make this one count." Shepard took the pistol and jammed it viciously between Vido's ribs. He leaned forward again, his steely gaze burning deeply into Vido's eyes. "Have you ever punctured a lung before?" He asked, twisting the pistol to ensure his message was received. " It's _incredibly_ unpleasant. Your first thought would be that you'd drown as blood poured into your lungs, but you'd be wrong. What actually happens is air seeps in from the sucking chest wound. Your chest cavity slowly fills with air, creating a pressure imbalance. Your lung is gradually crushed until eventually …… you suffocate from the inside." Vido began to hyperventilate at the thought, a mixture of saliva and vomit dripping from the gag with every breath. "I'll ask you one last time, and then you can experience it for yourself. Where is Tali?"  
Vido fought to scream the answer even before Shepard had managed to remove the gag. "The Grissom system, in the Armstrong Nebula. Fist's got his own asteroid, a big one, he's mining it for Eezo. Please don't kill me, please, please, please don't kill me." He begged, gibbering quietly to himself.  
Shepard sat back in his chair tiredly, a hand slowly dragging down his face. "I'm not going to kill you." He admitted, more to himself than to Vido. "Truth be told, I wish I hadn't had to do that. If you had just said what I had wanted to hear in the first place, it would have ended there. You never would have seen me again. No, _I'm_ not going to kill you." Vido slumped forward as he sobbed heavily, thanking him between gagging breaths. Shepard sighed and tightened the gag once more, sickened by the voice of Tali's kidnapper.  
"Well …" Shepard said as he stood, rubbing his hands together, "We've got all of these bed's rented, and it's the damnedest thing, I just don't feel like sleeping. I think I'll go take a walk." Shepard looked at Zaeed, then to Vido. "How about you two? Tired?"  
A look of confusion crossed Vido's face. He looked to his left as Zaeed stood and pulled an M-451 Firestorm from his back. His eyes shot wide as he screeched around the gag. "He looks bloody exhausted." Zaeed said with a menacing smile. "I could use a bit of a rest myself."  
"Right then," Shepard said casually as he turned and headed out the door, "I'll just leave you two to catch up on some sleep." Shepard could hear Vido shrieking at his back as he walked down the dimly lit halls of the building. Before long, the screams were drowned out by a deafening roar, followed by the crackling of flames licking across the cheap furniture of the room.  
Shepard stood in the relative shelter of the building's entrance, enjoying the bristling, frosty night air. Zaeed joined him, his armor smudged with ash and reeking of charred meat. The two stared up at the heavens, taking solace in the infinite peace of the dark night sky. "Tonight was a good night." Zaeed muttered, closing his eyes and savoring the experience.  
"No …" Shepard replied, his voice stricken with guilt. "No it wasn't." Zaeed looked sidelong at Shepard, in that single moment truly understanding the man for the first time. After a moment's reflection he returned is gaze to the icy pin-pricks of stars overhead.  
"Soon though …" Shepard whispered. "There'll be a good one coming soon …"

**Chapter 7**  
**Grissom System, Armstrong Nebula**

The briefing room was crowded with what little crew the Normandy had. They had spent the past twenty four hours making stealth passes through the asteroid belt, retrieving information on Fist's base. Much of that time Shepard had spent in his cabin, formulating a plan, fighting the urge to simply rush in with guns blazing. He looked over the holographic image of the asteroid once more, weighing his options for the last time. "EDI, give us a quick background on this rock." he said thoughtfully.  
"Although large for an asteroid, it's mass is still much smaller than most moons." EDI replied in her mechanized voice. "It has an extremely low pressure atmosphere, composed mainly of carbon dioxide. In truth, though, it had might as well be considered a vacuum. Gravity is roughly one third of that found on Earth's moon, though localized mass effect fields have been detected emanating from both structures on the surface, likely normalizing the gravitational coefficient to Earth standard within those constructs. The first structure is located here, on the lip of a large crater, built into the base of this mountainous peak." The display zoomed in on the structure. All that was visible was a small out-building at the foot of a jagged spire, accompanied by a transparent room protruding from the nearby cliff face. "This, the smaller of the structures, is mainly subterranean, extending out from the mountain to the crater's decline. Passive scans have revealed that this is most likely a residential unit, Fist's personal domicile, considering the cost of construction. There is only one entrance, an elevator shaft located within this surface access point. The second complex," She continued as the display shifted to the structure on the crater's floor, "appears to be a mining facility. It extends deep into the crust of the asteroid, and has little in the way of defenses. It is likely that Fist never expected this location to be found. A complex of this size would require a labor force of approximately fifty to one hundred."  
"And something tells me they're not volunteers…" Garrus muttered to himself.  
Shepard sighed tiredly. He hadn't slept in days, the mixture of worry and his aching concussion making periods of rest short and uncomfortable. "I've gone over this info a dozen times." he said wearily. "This situation is anything but …… opportune. A low gravity world, next to no atmosphere, a completely unknown opposing military force, and lots of innocent bodies to use as human shields. The way I look at it, our best chance of getting _anybody_ off of this rock safely is to get Fist. He'll know where Tali is, and he's too much of a coward to risk getting killed in a crossfire once we've got him. So here's my plan." he explained as the display ran back to the smaller structure. "The shuttle will come in low and drop me off on the surface on the far side of this mountain. Then the rest of you will be dropped off outside the factory district. You'll start a fire fight on the exterior, but _no one_ is to enter the facility. I don't want any innocents getting caught in the middle. While you've got the security forces distracted, I'll make my way along the surface to the residence. If Tali's there, I'll take her and get out. If she's not, I'll capture Fist. Either way, once I'm finished I'll signal you, and the Normandy will come in to evacuate the mining complex."  
The crew bristled slightly, nervous energy brewing. They knew it was a wildly dangerous plan, but it was also their best hope. "Joker," Shepard continued, "I'll need my best pilot in that shuttle. EDI can handle the evacuation on her own."  
He expected a pithy response, but was surprised when he was met with stoic determination. "Aye, Commander." Joker replied. "You can count on me."  
Shepard smiled at the support. "Once you've dropped me off, you'll head straight for the mine to drop off the rest of the crew. And don't try to sneak through, I want them to know where you're going. See if you can't rattle a few bolts loose in that building."  
Joker grinned. "If there's one thing I can handle, it's being obvious."  
"Garrus," Shepard continued, "you're in command of the distraction team. There's going to be a lot of scared workers down there, so everyone be sure to double check your targets. Doctor Chakwas, we don't know the condition of the people down there, but we had better assume the worst. You'll need to prep the Normandy to receive wounded."  
The crew looked to one another somberly, the full gravity of the mission realized. Shepard paced from one end of the room to the other, his companions eyeing him, their faces lined with concern. Shepard hardened his jaw and filled his voice with passion, injecting intensity into every word. "In the past few days, I've asked a great deal of each and every one of you. I've put your lives on the line, as well as my own. I wish I could say that I needed to ask of you just one more thing, to put you in the line of fire one last time. But I can't. We have a long journey ahead of us, and despite all that we've done, this is just the first timid step. Our friends …… our _**family**_ have been taken from us, ripped from our lives. Someone took a part of what we _are_. They took a part of _us_. I look around this table and I see the reason why I'm alive, the reason that I fight. You all know that I would gladly lay down my life for anyone in this room. I've proven it in the past, and I'll risk it again in the future. Right now our companions need us. And I'll be _**damned**_ if I'm going to deny them the same. So right here, right now, we put everything on the line. We risk all that we have, the only thing left we have to give, for the only thing that really matters: _each other_."  
The crew's eyes burned, sharing in his passion, ignited by his cause. The room emptied as they each prepared for the coming battle.

Shepard sat aboard the shuttle, watching the grey landscape whip past the window. Joker's voice came over the intercom. "Approaching the drop zone, Commander."  
"Understood." Shepard replied as the fastened his helmet's airtight seals. He stood and faced the door as the familiar hiss of depressurization filled the space. The shuttle's braking jets fired as the hatch lifted open. Shepard looked at the dull surface passing by slowly beneath his feet. With a quick nod to Garrus, he leapt from the cabin, allowing the asteroid's weak gravitational pull to drag him towards the ground. He landed in a roll, looking up in time to see the shuttle rocket off around the looming mountain. He stood, rechecking his suit's seals before heading off towards the base. It took nearly fifteen minutes to lope around the humbling peak, floating high and long with each bound. As he approached the surface access point, he stumbled, dropping heavily to the ground. He picked himself up carefully, taking a few tentative steps. _Must've entered the mass effect field_ he thought to himself as he pulled out his pistol.  
Garrus' voice crackled over his comm. "We've begun our assault. Security has been dispatched, your cleared to enter Commander."  
"Good, keep it up." Shepard replied. He approached the entrance and activated the elevator call button. The doors slid open, and he entered the small car. Sealing behind him, the elevator began it's journey downward, the sound of air pumps equalizing the atmosphere echoing through the confined room. As the car settled to a rest, Shepard pressed himself against the wall, peering out as the door slid open. Two guards stood at the end in the hall beyond the elevator, backs turned. They casually conversed, a dry laugh escaping occasionally. Shepard snuck behind the men silently. He aimed his pistol at one while he tapped the other on the shoulder. As they turned to look, he leapt forward, clutching one man by the throat and aiming his hand cannon at the other. The two men shared a familiar resemblance, but Shepard pushed it to the back of his mind. "Weapons on the floor." He growled. The guard's rifles clattered against the metallic deck plates. "Where's Fist?" He snarled to the man at the end of his pistol.  
"The door at the end of the hall." The man said, his voice seemingly unconcerned.  
"And Tali?" Shepard asked. "Where's Tali?"  
A lascivious smile crawled across the guard's lips. "What, that sweet little piece of Quarian …"  
His final words were interrupted as Shepard shoved the barrel of his pistol into the man's mouth. In a blinding flash, the back of the guard's skull exploded outwards, a crimson spray showering the nearby wall in blood and bone fragments. A look of utter surprise was chiseled into the man's mangled features as he settled in a heap on the floor. Shepard turned to the remaining guard, the pistol's barrel now hovering inches from his face. "Do you think you can keep a civil tongue, or do these walls need some more repainting?" He hissed. The man's jaw dropped and he babbled incoherently, trying to find his words. Shepard tightened his grip and slammed the man violently against the wall. He shot a glance back at the oozing corpse on the floor. "I don't know if you've noticed, but today, patience … not one of my strongest suits. Where is she?" he shouted.  
"There's a short hall to the left," the man squeaked. "it's the door at the end."  
Shepard eyed the man carefully, then threw him roughly towards the entrance. "Get out of here." He grumbled. He watched the man hurriedly grab a helmet from a rack near the entrance and flee into the elevator. As the door sealed shut, Shepard quickly scanned his surroundings. He stood in a small entrance hall, at the end of which stood the open aperture of an airlock. In the case of an atmospheric breach, the hatch would slam closed, isolating the building. Just beyond the aperture, the hall branched to the left and right. Continuing on straight path, the hall ended in a heavy door. Before leaving the entrance hall, Shepard activated his omnitool and scanned a thick pipe running along the wall to his right. After a few moments of investigation, he smirked beneath his helmet at the hushed sloshing sound coming from within. Reaching into his pack, he removed a small device and attached it to the length of pipe. Satisfied, he readied his pistol once more and headed further into the facility.  
He passed through the airlock and looked down the hall to his left. As he had been told, the hall ended after a dozen feet, a thick door standing vigil on the far wall. Just as he took his first step towards the room, the telltale hiss of the elevator doors opening reached his ears. He turned and saw five armed security officers step into the hall, the guard he had released standing at their lead. Noticing him, they raised their weapons and began to fire. Shepard smiled coldly as shots sizzled off of his shields. He raised his arm and keyed in his omnitool. The guards looked to their right as a high pitched whine began to hum from the nearby pipe. A moment later the explosive cap Shepard had planted blasted the fuel line open, bathing the hall in liquid flame. The raging inferno rolled over the frightened men as it raced down the hall. Shepard knelt, curling his arms instinctively over his face as the fireball consumed him. His shields winked out in an instant as the intense heat scorched his armor. Just as the blast furnace began to melt through his suit, the blazing storm burned a hole in the elevator's pressure seals. Oxygen was torn from the room, dragging the flaming gas along with it up the shaft and out onto the asteroid's surface. The airlock doors slammed closed, sealing off the entrance. Shepard stood, awaiting the reassuring tingle of his kinetic barrier rising, but it never came. He looked down at the smoldering ruin of his armor. The suit's shield emitters had been fried irreparably. _What's one more obstacle?_ He thought to himself in exasperation.  
A thick pall of oily smoke hung in the air as Shepard walked down the left-hand hallway. Reaching the door, he turned the manual hand-crank, hearing the locking mechanism slowly drawing back within the door. With a tug, the door drifted open, light spilling into the gloomy interior. Shepard entered, his pistol raised, wary of an ambush. As his vision adjusted to the dim light, he could make out a lone figure sprawled on a small bed against the rear wall. "Tali…" he said with a grin. He dropped his pistol, removing his helmet and letting it fall to the floor. "Tali, we have to go." He said hurriedly as he approached the bed. "Joker will be here ……" his voice trailed off as he looked down at the bed. Tali lay perfectly still beneath a thin blanket. She had been removed from her environmental suit. Her fine skin had blanched to a deathly pallor. "Tali…" Shepard repeated, his voice quaking with uncertainty. Her delicate body lay frozen, locked in the semblance of unending sleep. Shepard fell to his knees beside the bed, raising an armored hand to gently rock her. Still nothing. Her bright eyes remained closed, unseeing. Shepard felt the rage and despair he held in his chest burst forth. Tears burned at the corner of his eyes. _I was too late_ he thought. _After all this, after everything _……_ I was too late_. He raised his quivering hand to her face, afraid to even touch her fragile features. Shepard had spent most of his life around others. Whether that be his family, his fellow cadets in training, or the various crew members throughout his career. But Tali was different. She had taught him what it truly met to be with someone, to give of yourself entirely, and receive the totality of someone else in return. Now, at the thought of life without her, Shepard trembled with the realization of his greatest fear: being completely alone. He leaned in closely, pressing his lips against her forehead as his tears streamed from his face to hers.

As he freed her from his kiss, he paused, his brow furrowed in confusion. He turned his head and pressed his check against hers. Her skin burned, raging with an intense fever. With his ear now next to her face, he heard the subtle intake of a shallow, halting breath. His eyes bolted wide as he shot back. She was alive! Unconscious, possibly comatose, but alive! He reached into his pack and withdrew a small breath mask. He carefully attached it to her face, allowing the clean air supply to flow into her. Her stroked her cheek gingerly with relief. Standing, he quickly reattached his helmet and keyed in his comm. "Joker, I've got Tali. I need an emergency evac, and I need it five minutes ago. The primary exit is blocked. Meet me at the secondary extraction zone."  
"Roger, on my way now." Joker replied, the sound of the shuttle's engines screaming over the channel.  
Shepard leaned down, scooping Tali's weakened form into his arms. He walked carefully from the room, afraid to jostle her in her delicate condition. Turning left, he headed down the long hallway, stopping before the heavy door. He activated the controls, and the hatch slid open. Stepping in, Shepard found himself in a large office, hideous paintings hung from the glass walls, the skins of various animals coating the floor. Looking out of one of the unadorned glass panels stood Fist. "Shepard!" he said jovially. "I'm surprised you found me. I didn't think you'd ever get Vido to talk."  
Shepard scowled. "It's all a matter of proper motivation." He muttered with disdain. "By the way, I made a bit of a mess back there, a little spatter on your walls. Hope you weren't too attached to your bodyguards. I'm sure it's probably been burned off by now, though."  
Fist turned, a pistol gripped tightly in his hand. A vein knotted above his right eye as he bit his lip. "Those two were my cousins, actually." He said, trying to hide his frustration. "Well, I guess no good deed goes unpunished."  
Shepard eyed the crippled man, imagining all of the unique and creative ways that he'd like to watch him die. His gaze dropped to Tali, her head curled peacefully against his chest. He grit his teeth for a moment, then let go of his frustration. He had what he'd come for, now it was time to leave. Just as the thought crossed his mind, the shuttle dropped into view, hovering outside of the window.  
Fist looked over his shoulder, then turned back to Shepard, a crooked smile smeared across his face. "Oh, I'm sorry Commander, but what kind of a host would I be if I let you leave with my honored guest." Fist raised his pistol and fired.  
Shepard's reflexes kicked in instantly, his instincts shrieking to safeguard Tali. He quickly leaned into the bullet, lowering Tali out of its path. The slug struck him in the upper chest, tearing through his weakened armor. He felt the hot metal shatter through his left collar bone and blast out of his back. Shepard gasped for breath as he fell to one knee. His heartbeat pounded through his ears as time slowed to a crawl. He looked up to see fist ejecting the spent thermal clip. The red hot cartridge tumbled slowly through the air, hissing as it came to rest on the fur-covered floor. Fist's face curled into a satisfied grin as he watched his opponent with glee. Shepard was struck by a wave of nausea as he leaned forward, letting Tali's full weight rest on the floor. Pain scorched through his chest, arcing through his body like a bolt of electricity blazing over his nerves. He loosed a hand and tore off his helmet, gasping for breath, but simply expanding his lungs caused his body to convulse in agony. His vision narrowed as his gaze cast downward. Blood streamed from the hole in his armor, a thin ribbon of scarlet spilling across Tali's pale skin, rippling in branches, seeking the floor. His eyes crossed to her angelic face, forever trapped in a restless sleep. _Get up!_ A voice screamed through his head. _She's not safe yet! You have to get up!_ He slid his arms around Tali, and struggled to heft her weight. He heard as much as he felt the grinding crunch in his shoulder as the pieces of his collar bone grated over one another. His body racked with pain as his arm gave out, Tali sliding once more to the floor. _Get up!_ The voice berated him._ If this is the last thing you ever do, do it right!_  
Shepard secured his arms around Tali once more and forced himself to straighten with an aching groan. His shoulder screeched with pain, but he drew strength from the body held tightly against him. He willed his legs to move, hauling himself back to his feet. He looked at Fist to see the color drain from his face, his prideful grin sag into sheer disbelief. Fist fumbled through his pockets, struggling to find another thermal clip. The deep well of rage contained in Shepard's chest exploded. His body erupted with scintillating blue flame, coursing around him in a wide cloak. The biotic firestorm expanded, undulating outwards, fiery tendrils lashing angrily. Small chairs and tables were lifted, pulled into orbit around Shepard like dust motes in a hurricane. Fist's jaw dropped, stunned beyond all comprehension. He produced a thermal clip and blindly tried to load his pistol, the shock of the sight before him causing him to drop both and stare dumbfounded. Shepard glowered at him, his eyes ablaze as much from fury as from the churning biotic whirlpool. "I'd hate to be rude," he said, his voice cold and dispassionate, "but I'm afraid I'll have to insist on leaving." Shepard pointed a hand forward. The raging biotic storm swirling around him condensed, rocketing from his arm, expanding outwards like a pack of hungry predators. The surge enveloped Fist wholly, casting him against the glass wall with primal, unforgiving force. The pane cracked, then shattered outwards, the explosive blast throwing Fist bodily against the shuttle, a loud crack reverberating through the quickly dissipating air. His body fell limply away, sinking towards the floor of the crater. As the shuttle door lifted open, Shepard dashed forward, his body begging for mercy. As he approached the window's edge, he leapt. As he soared through open space, he realized the distance was too great. Fist's body had shoved the floating shuttle outwards. Shepard's stomach collided heavily with the bottom of the shuttle's hatch, the momentum causing Tali to roll from his arms across the cabin's floor. Shepard rebounded from the impact, sliding out and downwards. He reached out, grabbing the edge of the hatch with his left hand. Every nerve ending in his body shrieked with pain as his broken clavicle was slowly pulled apart by the weight of his own body. He gagged as he felt the tendons in his shoulder gradually pulling free from his bones. He wheezed, attempting to breath the near-vacuum. His vision darkened as he looked down at the crater's floor thousands of feet below.  
Closing his eyes, he felt a calming wave pass over him. _It's okay._ A voice echoed through his mind reassuringly. _She's safe now. Nothing else matters. You've done your job._ Shepard smiled peacefully as his fingers released. Feeling the weak gravity take hold of him, he took simple pleasure from the sudden decrease of pain in his shoulder. With a satisfied sigh, he resigned himself to oblivion.  
Shepard's eyes bolted open, followed by a silent scream as blinding pain ripped once more through his arm. His attention was drawn upwards as water droplets trickled down on his face. He felt his consciousness waning as he looked up at the shuttle. Tali hung out of the door, laying flat on her stomach. She gripped his hand tightly in hers, sweat beading off of her fevered skin as she grimaced, hauling his weight upwards. A pained grin spread across Shepard's face. _My hero_ he thought as the world faded to black.

Fist continued to fall through space, pulled downward by the asteroid's weak gravity. He peered over his shoulder at the slowly approaching floor of the rocky crater. His lungs burned as he tried to suck in a breath of the sparse carbon dioxide atmosphere. The veins on his hands bulged outwards, bursting excruciatingly one by one as the blood was drawn outwards by the low exterior pressure. A dark halo spread as tunnel-vision set in. He felt ice crystals forming at the corners of his mouth and eyes as his body's moisture was torn out, evaporated into space. Blood seeped out in tiny droplets from his burst eardrums, slowly freezing and spinning off into the void. His mind was quickly fading. Most of his thoughts were wildly incoherent with the exception of one, which continued to bounce around his skull tortuously. As much as he tried to forget it, to give up and accept his fate, the question kept reappearing. _Will I die from oxygen deprivation,_ he thought to himself as he hurtled towards his ultimate destiny, _or will I live long enough to be smashed to pieces on the jagged rocks below?_

It had been nearly two weeks since the raid on Fist's base. Sixty four enslaved workers had been freed from the mining complex, turning the Normandy once again into an active and bustling vessel. There had only been three casualties, killed at the hands of a desperate guard while trying to escape in the chaos. Many of the evacuees had been so grateful for their rescue that they had volunteered to take on the duties of the regular service staff until they could be safely relocated. For the first time in nearly a month, the crew enjoyed freshly cooked meals and a well serviced ship to call home. Shepard had spent much of the past two weeks in the starboard observation room, staring out at the cold stars. The symptoms of his concussion had passed for the most part and the lacerations on his back had scarred over. His collar bone had been reset with plates and screws, and he could now comfortably go without a sling, though the bullet wound was somewhat tender yet. Still, he suffered. His sleep was disturbed by nightmares and he'd lost his appetite. His friends had tried to help, consoling him, bringing him helpings of fresh food. He had thanked them, but politely refused, preferring to be alone with his worry. Doctor Chakwas had commandeered his cabin, retrofitting it into a make-shift clean room. Tali was bed-ridden, and Chakwas had been treating her almost nonstop for the duration.  
As had become the norm, Shepard sat staring out into the void, lost in his own thoughts. He jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Doctor Chakwas smiling down on him with compassion. "Any news, Doc?" he asked, trying to hide his anxiety. "How is she?"  
"She's resting." She said, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. "You managed to find yourself one tough Quarian."  
Shepard smiled with relief. "Will she be out soon?" he asked.  
"She was quite ill for a while, but her systems have stabilized. I'd like to keep her confined for another day or so, just to be safe. Besides, she'll have to remain there until we can get to the migrant fleet and find her a new enviro-suit."  
Shepard's eyes cast downward for a moment, then met the doctor's once more. "So there's no chance that I could see her?" he asked quietly.  
She sighed dramatically, then smiled and handed him a sealed plastic package and a breath mask. "Thirty minutes, and not a second more."

The door slid open, and Shepard stepped into his cabin. It had been stripped of all of his personal effects. Even the fish had been removed, their tanks sterilized. Between the office area and the rest of the room stood two sheets of hermetically sealed plastic barrier, forming a type of airlock against bacterial transmission. Shepard slipped into the washroom, discarding his clothing and taking a thorough shower. Afterwards, he removed the pair of thin cotton pants from the tightly sealed package Chakwas had given him, slipping them on. He fit his breath mask in place and left the room. Carefully, he made his was through the plastic guards and quietly approached the bed. Tali lay serenely, her lithe body curled slightly as she slept on her side, her soft skin covered only by a single sheet. Shepard silently pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed. He reached out, gently tracing the line of her jaw with his fingers. She stirred sleepily, then settled once more into quiet slumber. Shepard held his head in his hands, overpowered by his own exhaustion. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into the bed and drift off to sleep with Tali cradled in his arms. "When this is all over," he muttered to himself, "we'll take a couple of weeks off. Just set a heading and cruise off into the stars…"  
"Because that worked out so well last time..."  
Shepard looked up to see Tali's eyes open, a coy smile on her lips. His hand found her face again, stroking it softly with his thumb. "Alright, you can pick the vacation this time." He said with a grin. Tali's hand rose to his, holding it intimately against her cheek. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the simple sensation of skin on skin contact. "You're back…" Shepard murmured softly, seeming almost to be trying to convince himself.  
"Of course I am," Tali whispered, nuzzling into his hand, "you came to get me."  
Shepard took Tali's hand in his as his gaze drifted to the floor. "Tali…" he stammered. "There's something I need to tell you. Something you need to know."  
Tali's face creased with concern. "What is it, Shepard?" She asked.  
"I did things …" he explained, guilt bleeding into his voice. "To find you … I had to do things … things that I regret, things that I wish I could forget." Shepard went on to explain the lengths to which he had gone to retrieve Tali's whereabouts, sparing her some of the gorier details.  
Tali looked into his eyes for a few silent moments. "There was no other way?" She asked quietly.  
"I tried to find one …" Shepard replied. "I tried, but there was no time … there wasn't enough time …"  
"And you regret what you had to do?" She inquired further.  
"I regret that things had to be done. If the situation were different in any way, I wouldn't have done them. But there was no other way, and …"  
"Sssshhhhh," Tali hushed as she took his hand and held it to her cheek once more, caressing his knuckles softly, "than I forgive you."  
Shepard's eyes misted over as he looked into Tali's. "It's all been for you, you know…" he said softly.  
Tali arched her brow, looking at him with curiosity. "All what?" she asked.  
"Saren … The Geth … Blue Suns … Eclipse … Blood Pack … Collectors. When I began as a Spectre, I was hunting a rogue agent who had raised an army. I was told I was doing it for the Alliance, for the Council, for the safety of the galaxy. Then we discovered the Reaper threat, and were supposed to be fighting for all sentient life everywhere. But I never was. It's too much, too big. Too big to see, too big to understand, too big to … feel. I couldn't do it for them." He explained, fighting to keep his composure. "Every battle we've fought, every enemy we've faced …… I've faced them for you. I've protected the galaxy for you. So that you can have a tomorrow, and so that hopefully I can be there to share it with you, if you'll let me. It's all been for you, Tali, because I love you."  
Tears streamed down Tali's cheeks as her bright eyes traced his face. "I love you, Shepard. I've loved you for so long. Living on the Flotilla, we all care for each other as a family out of necessity. But until I met you … I never knew I could feel this way …" She said gazing passionately into his eyes. "Deep down, I've wanted to hear you say that since we first met on the Citadel. I thought it was just infatuation, a young woman's crush. But it was more. To hear you say that …… I never thought that …… you know, because I'm …… I love you, Shepard."  
Tali sat up, letting the sheet fall away, the dim light cascading over her body. She reached up and released the catch on Shepard's breath mask, pulling it away. "No but … Chakwas said …" Shepard stuttered anxiously.  
"Ssshhh." Tali whispered, bringing a finger to his lips. She moved her hand to the back of his neck, and gently pulled him in until their lips met. Shepard sighed quietly, the sweet taste of her mouth easing his fears.  
Shepard pulled back a fraction of an inch, their lips still brushing over one another. "I just ... I don't want to lose you." he whispered.  
"You never will." Tali replied. "I'll be by your side forever, if you'll have me."  
In answer, Shepard leaned forward once more, their lips slipping into one another. In that single moment, all of the pain, all of the suffering he had experienced in the past two months was entirely worth it, validated by the supple lips of his Quarian lover. He opened his eyes, looking past her to the clock sitting on the bedside table. He pulled back, rubbing his neck apprehensively. "umm …… we only have fifteen minutes ……"  
Tali smiled coyly as she slid across the bed, patting the sheets invitingly. "Understood, Commander." She teased.

**Redemption**

For links to the sequel Mass Effect: Sable Dreams, visit this address:

.com/196226/blog/3454/


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